Milling fixture



G. D. sHAEFFER MILLING FIXTURE Oct. 2, 1945.

Filed Jan. 2, i943 ,3 Sheets-Sheet 1" I INVENTOR 660/196,. 5 'd 9ff n IN ATTORNEYS.

1945- I s. DQSHAEFF ER 8 4 MILLING FIXTURE Filed Jan. 2? 194; sSheets-She'et 3 IN VENTOR :601:46 \siaeffen Patented Oct. 2, 19452,386,146 r -WIILINGFIXTURE George Dyshaefler, Detroit, Mich., assignorto Gar Wood Industries, Inc Detroit, Mich., a

corporation of Michigan Application January 2, 1943, Serial No. 471,1131 Claim. (01. 90-20) The present invention relates to a millingflxtureand particularly relates to an apparatus for mounting a workpiece andcausing such workpiece to follow a predetermined path of move ment withrespect to a milling cutter during the cutting of the workpiece. a

One of the primary objects of the present invention is to provide anapparatus for mounting a workpiece in which jaw clutch teeth areto beformed and in whichthe workpiece is caused to follow a path of the formof the complete clutch teeth with respect to a milling cutte during thecutting operation. r

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the typementioned whereby jaw clutch teeth may be cut in a workpiece morequicklyand economically than-with prior apparatus. v a

A further object of the invention is to provide jaw clutch teeth may beformed more uniformly accurate so that mating clutch members willaccurately mesh. 7 t

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine toautomatically. form a plural jaw.

clutch, or the like, with, unskilled workmen.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from thefollowingspecification, the drawings relating thereto, and from theclaim hereinafter set forth. f t

In the drawings, in which like numerals are used to designate like partsinthe several views throughout:

Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectional View, with parts in elevation, ofa milling fixture embodying features of the present invention andshowing such fixture with the workpiece mountedtherein in one operatingposition with respect to a milling cutter;

, Figure 2 is a partial View similar to Figure 1 and showing certain ofthe' elements of the apparatus in a different operating position; IFigure 3 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Figure 1 with oneof the cover members removed and showing the change gears;

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the structure shown in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 55of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of Figure 2;and

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a jaw clutch member formed by theapparatus of the present invention. 1 v

In general,-the fixture of the present invention an apparatus ofthe'type mentioned in which the L2 is adapted to'be mounted upon aconventional milling machine and is of such a construction that theworkpiece'is supported adjacent the milling cutter and -is caused tomove in a predetermined pathto mill the proper form thereon. Inparticular, the fixture of the present invention is' constructed for themilling of a jaw clutch element in which the jawclutch teeth are formedin the end of a tubular workpiece. The teeth are completely formed bythe milling operation.

In the particular embodiment here described, a jaw clutch element, suchas that shown in Figure 7 and indicatedat II], is being formed. Theelement 10 has three teeth formed with straight sides I2 which areparallel to the axis of the element and sloping sides -l4. It willbea'ppreciated, however, that other formsof jaw clutch members may bemilled by slight changes in the particular embodiment disclosed; thatis, clutch elements having more than three teeth and having teeth ofdifferent contours may be formed. l r

- Referring to Figures 1 through 6, one embodiment of the fixture of thepresent invention is specifically illustrated. Such fixture includes astandard having a base l6 and integrally upstanding supporting membersI8, 20 and 22. The standard is adapted to be secured on the table of aconventional milling machine. Such machine includes the usual horizontalarbor 24, upon which a milling cutter 26 is mounted. The table,

is mounted in the usual way for translatory movement and for verticalmovement with respect to the arbor.

The members l8, 20 and 22 are provided with axially aligned aperturestherethrough. A bearing sleeve 28 is mounted on the member [8 by meansof a removable ring 30 which engages one sideof the member l8, oppositeto that of an annular shoulder formed'on the member 28 and securedthereto by means of screws 32. The bearing member 28 has a bore 34providing a bearing surface which is adapted to'slidably and rotatablyreceive therein an enlarged portion of a tubular mounting member 36.Such member 36 is driven by means to be described hereinafter.

The clutch element ID has an integral base portion 38 of enlargeddiameter which is received within the tapered portion 40 of the bore ofmember 36. A collet 42 is received between the base 38 and the taperedportion 40 and is held in place by a collar 44, which is threaded Themounting member 36 extends through the aligned apertures in members 20and 22, and is slidably received within a bearing aperture provided inmember 22.

The driving means includes a drive shaft 50, which is received betweenstandard members 20 and 22 and which is mounted within aligned bearingopenings therethrough. The shaft 56 may be suitably driven; and, in theembodiment illustrated, a hand crank 52 is employed which is secured tothe rear projecting end of the shaft 50 for the purpose of turning suchshaft. However, instead of the hand crank 52, such shaft "may beotherwise driven from the power elements :of the milling machine and maybe suitably connected thereto, for example, through suitable gearing anda belt and pulley arrangement.

An idler shaft 54 is also mounted to the *members 26 and 22 in parallelrelationship to the shaft 56. A plurality of intermeshing reductiongears are mounted on shafts 50 and 54. Such reduction gears include apinion 56, which is keyed to the shaft 50 for rotation therewith andwhich meshes with a gear 56 of a gear cluster including a pinion 66.Such gears 58 and 60 are mounted for free rotation on shaft 54. Thepinion 60 meshes with a gear 62 of another cluster having a pinion 64.Such last named cluster is rotatably mounted on shaft 50. The pinion 64meshes with a gear 66 of another cluster having a pinion 68. Such lastnamed cluster is rotatably mounted on shaft 54.

The pinion 58 meshes with a ring gear '19, which is interconnected withand serves to drive the member 36 in a manner that will be described indetail hereinafter.

The driving means interconnecting the driving gear 19 and the drivenmounting member 36 is a differential drive means which includes a pairof intermeshing engageable elements 12 and '14. The member 12 includesan annular hub portion 16 having a radially extending annular flange onone side thereof to which the gear 76 is secured for rotation therewith.A thrust bearing 18 is mounted on member 36 between member 16 andstandard member 26, against which member 16 bears. The member 76 isprovided with an axial bore which is mounted on member 36 so that theremay be relative rotation therebetween.

The member 14 is secured to member 36 by means of rivets 96, or thelike, so that members .36 and 14 move as a unit under the control of acam guide, to be described in detail hereinafter. The members I2 and 14are formed with intermeshing teeth, having engageable surfaces 82 and:84 which are adapted to bear against each other for providing thedifferential drive between members 10 and 36.

'A compression spring 86 is disposed in surrounding relation to member36 and has one end bearing against an annular shoulder formed on member14 with the other end bearing against a shouldered ring 88. Suchshouldered ring 88 is mounted on member 36 and bears against the innerface of standard member '22. The spring 86 serves to prevent the suddenattraction of the member 36 when the cam guide elements are in theposition shown in Figure 1.

It will be appreciated that with the member .16 being continuouslydriven, if rotation'of member 36 is retarded or stopped there Will be anaxial movement of member 14 with respect to member 12, so that therewill be a corresponding axial movement of the workpiece mounting member36. Thus, the driving connection between members and 36 effects themovement of the workpiece with respect to the milling cutter, but suchdrive connection permits axial movement as well as rotative movement ofthe workpiece, so that by controlling the relative rotative and axialmovement that part of the workpiece being presented to the millingcutter may be caused to follow a predetermined path in order that thedesired shape may be milled thereon.

To so control the relative rotative and axial movement of the workpiece,means are provided which include a cam guide member 90, which is in theform of a sleeve fixed to member 36 by meansof rivets 9 2 and locatedbetween the standard members 18 and 20. The cam member 99 is formed withcam guide surfaces on the opposite ends thereof which have the contourof the jaw toward the cutter during such rotation.

clutch teeth to be formed on the workpiece Ill. lln the embodimentillustrated, such cam guide 90 has, in effect, three teeth, havingstraight portions 94 parallel to the axis of member 36 which areconnected together by sloping portions 96. Elements having complementarycontours are disposed on opposite sides of the member 90 and are fixedto the standard. The member 28 may have its inner end formed with such acomplementary contour, asindicated at 98, another member 99 may befixedly mounted to the standard member 20 and have a complementarycontour NH. The complementary contours 98 and I6! arespaced from eachother such a distance as to permit axial movement of the memberSll and,consequently, axial movement of the workpiece 19. This distance is equalto the depth of the tooth to be formed, or equal to the depth of thestraight portion 94.

In the operation of the above-described apparatus, the work table isvertically adjusted with respect to the cutter 26 so that the axis ofthe arbor, or the center of the cutter, lies in horizontal planeapproximately midway between the center of the wall of the workpiecebeing out. In this way the effect of the radius of the cutter is reducedto a minimum and is within the tolerances allowed in this work.

The fixture is then fed toward the cutter to a working position bymoving the bed of the milling machine in the usual way. By driving shaft50, such drive is transmitted through the reduction gears, to thedriving gear 10. The drive from gear 1.6 is transmitted to the drivenmember 36 through elements 12 and 14. The complementary contours ofmembers 92 and those contours indicated at 98 and HH effect the relativerotation and axial movement of the workpiece with respect to the millingmachine. The member 36 rotates and moves axially with the surface 96 ofcam member 90 bearing against the sloping surfaces of contours 93 andNH. The sloping surface of contour I0! causes movement of the workpieceThe sloping portion of contour 98 permits such rotative and axialmovement. This will continue along the sloping portion until thecutterreaches its full depth of cut when the cam element 90 is in the positionshown in Figure 1. When the cutter reaches this point, the straightportions 94 of the cam member 90 abut against the straight portions oncontour 98, so that rotative movement of the member 36 is prevented. Inthis connection, if itwere desired that such portion be at an angle,rather than parallel to the axis as here specifically described, the cammembers could be given such contour, in which event the rotative actionwould be retarded while it would be permitted to the extent of theangle. With the rotative action of the member 36 stopped or retarded,the engaging surfaces 82 and 84 of members 12 and 14, respectively, willslide with respect to each other, causing axial movement of the member14 against the action of spring 86.

The members I0 and I; will, of course, continue to rotate while themember 14, together with member 36, moves axially. Such axial movementis in the direction-of the arrow H12 in Figure 2, and continues untilthe cam member90 is in the position shown in Figure 2. At this position,the workpiece [0 has been withdrawn to the full depth of the tooth, sothat the straight portions 94 are free of abutment against the straightportions of contour 98 and rotation and axial movement of the member 36may then continue to out the next sloping portion of the next tooth. Theengagement between members 12 and. 14 permits the axial movement, aswell as the rotative movement, during the cutting of the slopingportions on the teeth.

It will be evident that by varying the contour of the cam or guide edgesof member 90 and, correspondingly, by varying the contours 98 and "II,the workpiece will be caused to follow other paths. Thus other shapesthan that particularly described here may be milled.

What is claimed is:

In a machine for supporting a workpiece during cutting by a cuttingmember, a standard, a driving member mounted on said standard, a drivenmember mounted on said standard, means holdin a workpiece on said drivenmember, driving means interconnecting said driving and driven members,said driving means including a pair of frictionally intermeshingmembers, means resiliently urging the members toward each other, theconstruction and arrangement of said intermeshing members and saidresilient means being such that one of said pair of members has combinedand simultaneous rotative and axial movement with respect to the otherduring rotation of the other, means directly connecting said one of saidpair of members with said driven member for movement as a unittherewith, and guide means interconnecting said driven member and saidstandard and acting through said driven member to rotate and to moveaxially while rotating so that said workpiece follows a predeterminedpath with respect to said cutting member.

GEORGE D. SHAEFFER.

